Carousel Gardens Restaurant, Seymour, Connecticut (Haunted Place)

Carousel Gardens Restaurant

153 North Street Seymour, Connecticut 06483

Tel: 1 (203) 888-2700

Website: www.carouselgardens.com

William H. Wooster came to Seymour in 1878, having been born in Water-bury, Connecticut. He was known as a captain of industry. He started a bank, the water company, a manufacturing company, and was involved with the schools and church in Seymour. He was often referred to as the founder of Seymour.

Mr. Wooster believed he should be living in the style to suit his stature in the community. In 1879, construction of the Wooster Estate began and continued until 1894. Wooster brought his wife, Anna, and their six children, Anna, Clara, Louise, Mabel, Helena Ruth, and one son Horace, into the estate with him. Ruth was the last surviving Wooster to live in the mansion. The estate was bought and sold several more times during its lifetime. The most recent owners, Paul and Debbie Schiarffa, bought the estate and have worked diligently to turn it into a very successful restaurant. Whenever Paul can tear away for a few minutes, he’s got some great stories and pictures he loves to show people.

Various staff members and patrons have had experiences at Carousel—so much so that they have added a whole section of their Website devoted to the paranormal. On one occasion, several of the staff and clients heard a glass fall to the tile floor. When they went to pick it up, there was no glass to be found. People get tugged on and get the feeling of being watched, and a cat with glowing white eyes was seen, but no cat was found anywhere on the premises. Ghost investigators and Ed and Lorraine Warren investigated Carousel Gardens in 1990 and found it to be haunted by the spirit of Helena “Ruth” Wooster. But Ruth is not the only spirit still lingering; occasionally, William Wooster has been glimpsed out of the corner of the eye from the staircase, and Horace has made his presence known as well.

I actually communicated with Ruth on one of our visits. She is a very pleasant lady and loves that Paul and Debbie have turned the house into a restaurant. She gets to see many people enjoying themselves in her home once again (she loved to entertain). She doesn’t mind the changes that have been made. We have found that if Ruth likes you, you are apt to find coins that appear from nowhere. Paul was being presented with dimes, another investigator kept finding dimes in her home, and I started seeing pennies everywhere I went. Coins are a common way for spirits to let us know of their presence. While investigating Carousel Gardens, we felt cold spots, saw curtains moving for no reason, felt our clothes being tugged on, and saw shadows. This is truly a delightful place to visit if you want to experience a haunting. Make your reservations, enjoy the food and the hosts, but don’t forget to say hello to Ruth.